'It's not the pebble, it's the penguin. I love you even more'

Hubie lifted Marina into his arms and they shared their first kiss. All the other penguins around them whooped and cheered.

'Ok, why don't you find an igloo, you love birds?' Rocko laughed.

Hubie and Marina stopped kissing and laughed too.

'I'm proud of you, Hubie' said Rocko, giving Hubie a friendly nudge. 'I didn't know Drake was that tough-looking! And you taking him on like that, I must have taught you very well'

'You mean...you saw me fighting him?'

'You bet I did! I only stayed hidden until you had finished with him so I wouldn't distract you'

'You know, Rocko' said Hubie. 'I'm proud of you too. I was wrong to think that your dream of flying was silly. Now look at you! Rocko, the world's first flying penguin!'

'Your dream saved ou lives' Marina added.

'Yeah, well...' Rocko smiled, flattered. 'if it wasn't for you bird friends I...hold on a minute! Where are they anyway? I want to give them a huge thank you for making my dream come true!'

'Up here!'

The penguins looked skywards where Petra, Beanie and Timmy were flying down to greet them.

'Great job, Hubie!' Petra cheered. 'You showed Drake who Marina's real love is!'

'Thanks, guys' said Hubie, putting his arm around Marina.

To the birds' surprise, Rocko had run up to them and pulled them all in for a huge hug.

'Thank you so much, you guys! You made my dream come true! I really owe all three of you!'

'No problem!' Beanie gasped for air.

Rocko finaly let them go and turned to Hubie again.

'You could've told me about these guys instead of making up those Waldo stories, birdbrain' he laughed.

'Waldo?' Marina asked.

'Hehehe. It's a long story, Marina' said Hubie, embarrassed.

'All in good time' said Marina, smiling lovingly. 'But first, let's get ourselves settled.

'Good idea, Marina' agreed Hubie and his cheeks turned bright red.

Soon all the other bachelors had presented their pebbles to their loved ones and they all made their wedding vows to each other. Hubie and Marina were hailed by everyone as the most romantic couple of all.

Finally the Full Moon Mating Ceremony was over. The sun had begun to rise over the icy glaciers. Hubie brought his new wife Marina, Rocko and the birds to his wondering spot overlooking the sea. There, they begin to work, building an igloo for Hubie and Marina to live.

It was hard work and it lasted nearly all day , but at long last, the igloo was big enough even for guests to visit.

As night began to fall upon Antacrtica, Hubie, Marina and their friends were huddled inside the igloo.

'Ok, now where should I start?' said Hubie.

'Well...you were being chased by a leopord seal first, right?' said Marina.

'Yeah! That's when we last saw you.' Timmy chirped.

'That's right' Hubie began the story. 'Ok, so apparantly I had been asleep for 3 days, because when I had woken up, I was aboard a boat called the Good Ship Misery. These humans were kidnapping penguins to sell to zoos!'

'Goodness! The thought of zoos sounds frightening!' Marina clutched Hubie's flipper.

'It sure does, my love. I was also afraid you would think I was dead'

'Well I didn't. I knew you would come back to me in time'

Hubie was afraid to explain that he also knew this because of the magic pebble he had found, in case she didn't believe him.

So he just smiled.

'So what happened next?' Beanie asked loudly. Obviously he didn't want any mushy stuff interrupting the story.

'Anyway, it wasn't long before I met Rocko. Humans had captured him too'

'Yeah' said Rocko. 'And I was desperate to escape. So I asked all the penguins in the ship if one of them wanted to help me break out'

'I was the one, though you didn't want me at first' said Hubie. 'You thought I was too dumb'

'Well you proved me wrong later, did you?' Rocko smiled.

'So you escaped?' asked Marina.

'We sure did and we ended up in a place called Tahiti'

'Tahiti? Where's that?'

'A beach 3000 miles off from Antarctica' Rocko answered.

'From there, I told Rocko all about you and he told me about his dream of flying'

'Now that's where we bring in that Waldo nonsense!' said Rocko.

'Yeah...' Hubie wiped his brow. 'I really needed Rocko to help me back home. I didn't think he would if I just asked so when he told me about his dream, I made up stories of a guy named Waldo'

Marina giggled. 'That's very silly!'

'Yes, it was silly' said Hubie, feeling a little ashamed. ' When we were nearly home, I had to tell Rocko the truth eventully'

'And I was angry, but I quickly forgave him. We had a good laugh about it, did we?' Rocko laughed at the memory.

'Oh, did we ever?' Hubie laughed too.

'So why did Rocko decide to come anyway, even when he knew he had been lied too?' asked Petra.

'Because Hubie had told me about Drake' said Rocko. 'And I knew without my help, he wouldn't stand a chance. So while we kept going, I began to teach Hubie my fighting moves and all that stuff. I told him that the time would come where he would have to fight for Marina'

'Did you even teach him how to bite?' said Beanie.

'No. Hubie did that on his own! Now that was a surprise for me when I saw that!'

They all laughed.

'Anyway, we were so close to home and suddenly we met a group of killer whales!'

Marina gasped.

'Rocko made me leave so he could hold them off. And when they had all gone, I found Rocko's bandana. I thought the whales had taken him'

'Nah! I'm a tough guy! Killer whales can't even bring down Rocko the Rockhopper!'

'I know that now, Rocko' Hubie nodded. 'So after that, I noticed Petra, Beanie and Timmy flying above me. And I overheard them saying that Drake had kidnapped Marina to force her marry him. So I knew I had to hurry and save her'

'And from there' said Marina. 'we know all the rest' She leant over and kissed Hubie, causing his red cap to flutter.

Beanie stuck out his tongue in disgust, while Petra and Timmy gave romatic sighs.

'You're right, Rocko' Hubie turned to his best friend. 'I should have told you about my bird friends instead of making up stories'

'That's all in the past, Hubie. Beside I'm glad I decided to help you. Both our dreams have come true. You have your girl and I have my wingspeed. And Drake is gone now. He won't bother you anymore'

Later on, Rocko and the kids left the igloo. Hubie and Marina were finally alone to get a good rest. They bot lay down, side bye side, on the soft, snow pillows they had moulded on the ground.

Hubie, however wanted to stay awake all night long, just to gaze at his love.

'Come on, my dear Hubie. Close your eyes and go to sleep' Marina said, softly.

'I'm sorry, Marina' said Hubie. 'I'm afraid if I wake up, this will be just a dream'

'I understand, Hubie. But I assure you, this is all real. You defeated Drake and I'm your mate forever'

'I know...it's just...Oh, Marina. I've been in love with you since the day I first saw you. You really are the most beautiful penguin in the rookery. Both on the outside and inside. I could've gotten you any pebble and you would accept anyway. Like you said, it's the perfect penguin that matters to you. I never thought a clumsy, wacky penguin like me could ever be with someone as lovely as you'

'Oh, Hubie. I love you as you are. Penguins like Drake were never my kind. I always said to myself that when I found the right penguin, it would just hit me'

'Guess you were right' Hubie chuckled. 'I crashed into you, remember?'

'Yeah' giggled Marina. 'You're a handsome guy to me, Hubie. And inside, you're generous, kind and always thoughtful of others'

The two penguins kissed again.

'You know, Hubie' said Marina. 'I know this may be a little early to ask but...what names should we give our kids?'

'Our kids?' Hubie was a little surprised, but he began to think of some. 'If we have a girl, how about Grace or Alice?

'They sound like great names' Marina agreed, trying to stifle a yawn. 'And how about if we have a boy, perhaps Jack or Flipper?'

'Flipper sounds cute'

'I'd love to have a family, Marina' Hubie yawned. He was getting tired.

Marina smiled and snuggled closer to Hubie, her eyelids were getting heavy.

'I love you, Hubie'

'I love you too, Marina'